Constant Vigilance
by Gitana del Sol
Summary: Bellatrix is admitted into the Order of the Phoenix and placed under Mad-Eye's wing. how do they get along? series of drabbles. not canon
1. Chapter 1

**this one is dedicated to _ThisLife103.7 _and all my other crazy friends from the forum Bellatrix Lestrange: The Dark Lord's Most Faithful. best forum EVER! :) not canon but i had a lot of fun writing it. enjoy!**

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Bellatrix Black followed closely behind Professor Minerva McGonagall, gazing around curiously. A small disdainful sneer flickers in and out of her expression as she takes in these surroundings that are no where near the grandeur in which she was raised but she has managed a convincing polite look of interest. The professor ushers her into a room at the far end of the hall, closing the door behind her with a flick of her wand.

The room was small, barely big enough to accommodate all the people in it. There were about twenty witches and wizards, all huddled around the round table at its core, talking amongst themselves in hurried whispers. Most turned their heads to gaze curiously at the newcomer. Several shot her loathing glares, which she returned with as contemptuous a sneer as she could muster.

"Dumbledore," McGonagall hurried forward to pause beside an old man. His beard and mane were long, disappearing beneath the table, and was currently in the transition phase from rainstorm grey to unicorn white. "Dumbledore – I have found her – she has agreed – I haven't explained – not everything, not yet." The older witch glanced up at Bellatrix, who was still standing by the door, excitedly.

"Well, before we begin the meeting she will need to be told all of the basic crucial information." Though he was apparently speaking to Minerva, his bright blue eyes remained on Bellatrix; his gaze was electrifying and she had to suppress the urge to shift uncomfortably.

"What has she been told already? We mustn't waste time. But where are my manners?" He chuckled pleasantly. "Come, young Bellatrix Black, sit. There is an empty chair here abouts…where is it? Ah yes, there! Between Dorcas and Mr. Diggle. You know Dorcas Meadowes, of course, she was at Hogwarts with you – a year or two ahead, I believe. Would you care for a sherbet lemon? Or a toffee perhaps? There are also these tiny candies – M&M's, I was told they are called. Delightful!" As if to validate his statement, he reached slender fingers into the bowl before him, picked up several circular, brightly coloured candies Bellatrix had never seen before, and plopped them between his lips. He munched on them, mouth still smiling, blue eyes still twinkling. The whole scenario was a little disconcerting, really.

"I – what – no – no, thank you, no." She managed to say. She exchanged a glance with McGonagall, who gave a half-shrud as if to say "Just go with it". Realizing that the old Headmaster was waiting on her, she slowly made her way tot eh indicated chair and cautiously lowered herself into it. The old man beamed and leaned forwards across the table, elbows resting on the tabletop with his hands joined at the fingertips to make a steeple.

"So, let's begin at the beginning, shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

"So, am I in? Can I join?" Bellatrix pressed animatedly. She had been invited to before the Order so many times! But she was never allowed in to the meetings or go off on all their adventures with them, despite all the time she seemed to be spending in their company these days. She was not a member of the Order of Phoenix…yet.

"Albus, this one is more of a hindrance than a help." A male voice said gruffly. "I say wipe her memory and send her back to her fancy house where she belongs. She's a Black, she's a woman, and I say 'good riddance'!"

Bellatrix scowled at the speaker.

"I don't care what _you've_ got to say, Aberforth!" She told him coldly. "_You_ never let me do anything!"

"I gave you specific instructions! And what do you do? You go and make a mess of my pub!"

"I was trying to _help_ you get things done faster." Bellatrix said with a roll of her eyes. "It's not my fault you got in my way. If you hadn't messed me up half way through, you would have seen some kick-ass bit of magic." Some people were so ungrateful.

A low chuckle sounds from the corner, and Bellatrix craned her head to discover its source.

"She's got sass, this one. We'll have trouble keeping her reined in, Dumbledore."

"Not if she were trained correctly." The Headmaster replied.

"Well, I'm not doing it." Aberforth declared. He and Bellatrix continued to glare at each other with open hostility. Dumbledore rubbed his temples wearily.

"Yes, Aberforth, I know. You have done so much for me and the Order already-"

"You bet I have!"

"-and I won't press your patience by burdening you with looking after her. If she is going to stay and become an official member of the Order, she is going to need a mentor. Any volunteers?"

Hushed mutters rippled across the room but no one presented themselves for the job. Bellatrix's heart sank. Come on! She wasn't a lost cause! She was too good to _not_ be put to fight. She crossed her fingers; come on, come on, she would take anyone…anyone at all!

"I'll take her, Albus," came the growl from the corner. Bellatrix smiled in relief; she was finally going to be allowed to be member of the Order of Phoenix now! She couldn't believe it!

"Don't know why I'm bothering though," the same voice continued as the man stepped forward from the shadows, "there doesn't look like there's much to work with."

Bellatrix felt her pride hiss with irritability and her eyes narrowed. _Excuse me_? Who did this guy think he was?

He was a stocky man. His nose looked broken and disfigured, as if a piece had been cut off. Chunks of his hair had been burned off, sure signs of a narrow escape. Though he seemed to be middle-aged, his think fingers were already gnarly. He only had one normal, beady eye; the other had been replaces with a magical eye. Both, however, were now scrutinizing her. An image of one of Cissy's rag dolls after it had been thoroughly chewed by a puppy Sirius had brought home from the streets flitted across her mind, and Bellatrix felt it was fitting. His overall appearance was _rough_.

"Excuse me," she said coolly, "but I am a _Black_, and I think there is quite a bit to work, actually."

"You think so, eh?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm good."

"Is that right? Well, we'll have to see how 'good' you are, won't we? But we can do that later. Right now," he lunged forward, fingers gripping the collar of her robes as he hauled her out behind him. Bella gave a mangled cry of shocked indignation but he ignored her, towing her out of the crowded room and into a larger, more spacious one. "I think it's time I taught you some manners." And with that he dumped her unceremoniously on her buttocks.

Bellatrix leaped to her feet, scowling and rubbing her thighs as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody began to list all the things he would not tolerate.

She truly regretted wishing for "anyone".


	3. Chapter 3

"Did you check the corners?"

"Yes."

"And under the furniture?"

"Yep."

"I saw that you checked for traps-"

"Yes, of course!"

"-and for traces of transfigured magic-"

"In case a dark wizard decided he might like to wait for me here as a toaster, yeah."

"But you didn't check the kitchen after you searched upstairs."

"Well, I'd already-"

"What if they had come in from the back door while you were upstairs, eh?"

"Well, I expect I would have _heard_-"

"What am I always telling you, Black?"

Bellatrix sighed.

"Well!" Moody barked.

"Constant vigilance," she mumbled.

"Constant vigilance!" Moody roared, and pointed a stump of a finger towards the kitchen. Grumbling, Bellatrix stomped back towards the kitchen to redo all the precautionary spells she had performed when they had first walked in.


	4. Chapter 4

Bellatrix laughed as her hex hit Dolohov square in the chest and he toppled over backwards. That was two down, three to go!

"Bellatrix, would you do us a favour and _focus_!" Moody growled as he dodged a spell and sent another one in retaliation. The young witch grinned, black curls bouncing about her eager face.

"I _am_ focusing, Mad-Eye!" As if to demonstrate her focus, she sent a curse at her mentor's attacker. Together, they were able to take him down. Bellatrix laughed again and pranced about eagerly.

"We are in the middle of a bloody duel, Bellatrix, not on of your social tea parties!" He barked at her before rushing towards the fray happening within the trees. She smirked and kept up easily.

She didn't understand why he was always comparing Order business to her mother's stupid social gatherings. Dueling was always more fun than sipping tea.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a tough fight. Three people were already sprawled on the floor, dead. The Death Eaters were fighting two to one, and the resistance was slowly backing down. Bellatrix ducked a Stunning Spell and shot another one that transfigured her opponent into a pot-bellied pig. She was about to go aid Minerva when a strong arm jammed against her throat, trapping her against a broad chest.

"Gotcha now, beautiful," a husky voice whispered in her ear.

Frantically, she clawed at the arm, twisting in vain to release herself from his clutches. Stars danced across her vision now as he applied more pressure to her wind pipe, and she was desperately trying to inhale any oxygen she could manage.

"OY!" Another voice thundered. "THAT'S _MY_ CHARGE!"

There was a loud bang and her captor fell with a groan and a thud onto the ground. Bellatrix fell forwards, gulping in the sweet air

"Go find your own." Moody finished, picking up the unconscious man's wand. Then he turned a murderous, normal eye towards Bellatrix.

"That's the second time I've had to save your skin, Black. What do I keep telling you? Constan-"

"Constant vigilance," Bellatrix moaned, rubbing her neck. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He surveyed her with a dark, critical eye.

"Knew there wasn't much to work with," he muttered. Good spell you cast on Rosier, though." He jerked his head towards the squealing pig, and Bellatrix knew that he had seen her perform that spell with the same magical eye that was now watching the pig scramble away from the dueling wizards. Bellatrix grinned.

"I told you that first day: I'm good. Bet I'll be better than you some day."

"And just as modest as ever," he grumbled. "Well, come on then!"

She followed his lead and leaped forwards, slashing her wand through the air as she fought off new opponents. Moody wasn't one for praise; he more often criticized. But she knew, whatever he said, that he was proud to be her instructor.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been several months, and Bellatrix had moved on from just being a member of a revolutionary group to actively pursuing a career as an Auror in the Ministry. They weren't sure whether to be pleased or exasperated when the Head of Department assigned Alastor Mad-Eye Moody to train and watch over her. But after months of Order training, they fell into an easy partnership. The only times they took separate sides was when Bellatrix convinced him to participate in a friendly, if intense, duel.

As they were doing now.

"See! I told you one day I would be better than you!" She teased as he stumbled, hit from one of her shots. "And now I am!" She turned away, laughing, wand lowered by her side. But her laughter turned into an exclamation of surprise when a purple streak of light hit her knees and she fell flat on her rump.

"So cocky," Moody said in his gruff voice as he limped towards her. He face was stern but his eyes were sparkling mischievously as he hovered over her. "It's like I keep telling you-"

"Constant vigilance!" They finished together. Mentor and student exchanged knowing smirks.

Dusting herself off, Bellatrix sighed and picked up her wand. She wasn't the least bit disappointed upon resigning to the fact that she was not better than him – _yet_.

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**the end! :) so, how do i rate?**


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